The event, organized by the Pontifical Council for the Laity, was focused on finding ways to evangelize the sports world.

A view of the international seminar in progress.

Rome, December 22, 2009. On November 6 and 7, the
national director of SportsLeader in Mexico, Albert Assad, was
one of the speakers at an international sports seminar organized
by the Pontifical Council for the Laity’s “Church and Sports”
division. The theme of the seminar was “Sports, Education, Faith:
For a New Season for the Catholic Sports Movement” and
its purpose was to explore the relationship between sports, the
formation of the human person, and faith in Catholic athletic
associations.

About 90 people gathered at the Villa Aurelia amphitheater
for the seminar, upon invitation by Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, the
president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. The participants
were mainly representatives of sports and youth ministry offices from
episcopal conferences, national and international presidents of Catholic associations, and
personalities from the worlds of professional and amateur sports. They
also represented a wide range of countries, including Spain, Italy,
France, Belgium, Poland, England, Mexico, the United States, Germany, the
Czech Republic, Hungary, Portugal, and Malta.

Message from the Holy
Father

The two-day seminar began with the reading of a message
from Pope Benedict XVI, who emphasized the importance of educators
who are able to imbue sports with values that foster
the integral development of the human person.

“Sport possesses considerable
educational potential particularly for young people. So, for this reason,
sport is of great importance not only when applied to
free time but also in the formation of each individual,”
he wrote.

“Sport, especially for the young, and when practised
with passion and within careful ethical boundaries, becomes a training
ground for sound physical development, a school of both human
and spiritual values, and a privileged means of personal growth
and interaction with society.”

The Pope encouraged those present to
“continue to encourage sport among the young, upholding its many

Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, with Albert Assad, national director of SportsLeader for Mexico.

positive attributes such as its capacity to stimulate a competitive
spirit, courage and the tenacity to pursue goals, while rejecting
any inclination to cut corners and get involved in what
destroys the human spirit, such as doping.”

Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko’s address

The
opening presentation was given by Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of
the Pontifical Council for the Laity. In his address, he
highlighted the role of sports associations in the Catholic world
as a valuable means for the formation of the young.

“Some in the church see sport as a threat as
it can take time away from the sacredness of Sunday,
and yet it is important that we begin to see
sport as an attraction for young people to be drawn
to the Church. Few see the link between sport and
spirituality. Yet the relationship between sport and faith dates well
back into history.”

He went on to say that “sport
is not a secondary activity” but “must be seen as
a school of education and respect, able to provide an
holistic formation to man. When properly exercised it brings about
great human virtues, and, with the help of God, Christian
virtues.”

A focus on virtue

The remainder of the first day
unfolded amidst presentations and panel discussions focused on the idea
that success is not about winning the game, but about
living virtue on and off the playing field.

Demetrio Albertini,
former professional soccer midfielder with AC Milan and member of
the Italian national team, talked about his own career, saying
that professional soccer can lead athletes away from “the real
world” and that much depends on the formation given by
coaches and parents.

“How you deal with professional sport depends
on your upbringing. Champions cannot be invented merely on the
basis of natural talent but on working day by day
in every situation that life presents to an individual. There
needs to be collaboration between all people involved in a
child’s life – parents, teachers, priests, coaches and team mates,”
he said.

The second day of the conference focused on new
approaches and educational strategies in sports environments, followed by panel
discussions. In this context, Albert Assad presented the principles of
SportsLeader’s formation method of one-on-one mentoring between coaches and athletes.
He also gave some concrete examples of how the program
has changed the lives of coaches and athletes by bringing
values and virtue into the world of sports.

Bishop Josef
Clemens, secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, concluded
the conference, encouraging all Catholics and Christians involved in sports
to “be true to your identity and do not water
this down.” He went on to say that “at this
time in history we need men and women enlightened with
faith who can make God credible in this world, men
and women who keep their gaze on God and who
learn from Him what true humanity is in the world
of sport.”

To learn more about how SportsLeader is imbuing the
world of sports with Christian values, visit the web site
at www.sportsleader.org.